“Superpowers Stoking Artificial Fear in Mideast to Sell More Weapons”

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says certain world powers try to make countries in the Middle East afraid of each other so as to make more money out of the weapons they produce.

Addressing the 10th plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) in Turkey, Larijani said the political and economic interests of superpowers are not secured through peace in the Middle East, and this has been proved within the past decades.
He referred to the ‘cancerous tumour’ of Israel as a product of world powers in the Middle East, and said, “Did world powers intend to create peace and stability in the region [by helping establish the Zionist regime of Israel] or did they want to create a centre of adventure in the region?”
According to a Farsi report by ICANA, he said superpowers’ political and economic objectives are not in line with regional peace, urging certain countries to promote convergence rather than relying on superpowers.
“Unfortunately, certain parties still rely on these powers instead of convergence and cooperation,” he added.
Larijani referred to the formation of terrorist groups in the region by world powers, saying the terrorist outfits have plagued the majority of countries in the Middle East.
World powers try to stoke artificial fear among regional countries and make them afraid of each other so as to sell more weapons and have their arms trade flourish, he added.
He also underscored that the establishment of peace and security in the region is a centrepiece of Iran’s foreign Policy.
Larijani underlined that measures adopted by some leading countries led to the all-out defeat of the ISIS terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.
He said the victory was achieved despite the fact that the US and some other countries had spared no effort to create and support the group.
The parliament speaker said Washington’s warmongering in Iraq led to its own defeat.
“The US triggered war in Iraq and created ISIS, but [at last] faced defeat.”

Coordinated Action Needed against “Global Threat” of Terrorism
Larijani further called for efforts to promote peace, stability and security in the region while terming terrorism “a global threat.”
He went on to say that the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism has spread across many parts of the world, especially key parts of Asia.
“Unfortunately, terrorism has turned into a devastating global threat, jeopardizing world peace and security,” said the top parliamentarian.
He said the horrifying phenomenon of terrorism has led to thousands of innocent people being killed or wounded, millions of others being displaced in countries such as Syria, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen, and key infrastructure in those countries being destroyed.
“It is a pleasure that, while this parliamentary assembly is underway here, productive diplomatic developments are taking place in Russia’s Sochi to help politically resolve the Syria crisis,” he noted.
“We hope the end of Syria’s seven-year devastating war would restore peace and security to the Arab country and the entire region,” Larijani added.
He noted that the victory over terrorists in Iraq and Lebanon was a key step toward the establishment of peace and tranquility in Asia.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Larijani called on the APA, as the representative of Asian nations, to adopt practical measures to alleviate the sufferings of persecuted Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar who face violence and crackdown at the hands of Myanmar’s government.
Larijani then referred to the issue of Palestine as another impediment to the establishment of peace and security in Asia. He said Palestinians’ basic rights are catastrophically violated, and they are deprived of the right to return to their homeland. He then said the word “Apartheid” cannot express the full extent of the crimes committed against Palestinians.